Refrigerator liner support



June 2% 1949. G. E. CURTISS, JR

REFRIGERATOR LINER SUPPORT Filed April 10, 1946 si i a 0 6 AGENT Patented June 21, 1949 ICE REFRIGERATOR LINER SUPPORT George E. Curtiss, Jr., Penn Wynne, Pa., assignor, by mesne assignments, to Philco Corporation,

Philadelphia, vania Pa., a corporation of Pennsyl- Application April 10, 1946, Serial No. 660,976

4 Claims. 1

This invention relates to refrigerator cabinet construction and, more particularly, to means for supporting the inner food compartment liner.

While of more general applicability, the invention is especially adapted for use in vertical type home freezers, wherein large quantities of frozen foods are stored.

As opposed to domestic refrigerators of the type and consequently upon the liner support means.

The inner liner is commonly formed of some suitable sheet metal, such as steel or aluminum. When steel is used it is usually coated with a whitevitreous enamel, and care must be exercised to prevent chipping or crazing of this coating at the points of liner support. When the liner is made of aluminum, on the other hand, there is a tendency for the metal to tear at these points of support under the heavy loads carried thereby.

Another condition encountered in refrigerators normally subjected to heavy storage loads is that, if unrestrained, the side walls of the liner have a tendency to bend or buckle outwardly under the stress of the shelf loads.

Therefore, it is the principal object of the present invention to provide improved means for ,supporting the inner food compartment liner in a refrigerator cabinet.

More specifically, it is an object of the invention to provide for support of the liner in the cabinet and at the same time to reinforce the liner walls in a manner to prevent buckling thereof under the stress of heavy shelf loads.

It is a further object to provide such supporting means which, additionally, does not present any appreciable heat-conducting path between the outer shell and inner liner.

Yet another object of the invention resides in the provision of an improved liner supporting means, of the aforesaid type, which is further characterized by its rugged simplicity and ease of manufacture and assembly.

A preferred embodiment of the invention has been illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

Figure 1 is a perspective view of a front-access vertical type home freezer embodying the invention;

Figure 2 is a fragmentary vertical sectional view taken substantially as indicated by the line I-t of Figure 1. the view being taken with the 2 breaker strip removed and certain portions broken away;

Figure 3 is an enlarged front elevational view of a fragmentary portion of the refrigerator, with the breaker-strip removed and with parts broken away to clearly illustrate details of the invention;

Figure 4 is a fragmentary sectional view, on a greatly enlarged scale, taken substantially along the line d-t of Figure 2; and

Figure 5 is a view similar to Figure 4, and taken along the line 55 of Figure 2.

With reference to the details of the drawings and particularly Figure 1 thereof, the numeral Ml designates a refrigerator cabinet having a food storage compartment ii, a door if for said compartment, and a machine compartment designated generally by the numeral i3.

The cabinet, as seen in Figures 2 and 3, comprises an outer casing or shell it within which is positioned inner liner l5. The outer shell comprises a top Wall it and opposite side walls ll, preferably formed as a unitary structure from a single sheet of metal and to which a back wall i8 is suitably secured, as by welding. The front edge of the shell is provided with an inwardly turned flange portion i9, the purpose of which will be explained hereinafter.

Positioned between side walls ll, beneath and slightly spaced from inner liner iii, is an angle bar 20 (see Figure 2) to which is secured the top wall 2! of machine compartment it, thus forming in the upper portion of the shell a rectangular open front compartment 22 within which is positioned, in thermally non-conductive relation with said shell, the rectangular, aforesaid open front inner liner l5 which forms the food storage compartment ii.

Rigidly secured across each front corner of compartment 22, is a gusset member 23, two of which are shown in Figure 3. Each of the top gussets has its ends suitably secured, as by welding, to the rear face of flange l9, and each of the bottom gussets has one end similarly secured to said flange while its other end is attached to one leg of angle bar 20 which leg comprises, in effect, a continuation of flange l9 and will hereinafter be considered as such. l

The forward edge of inner liner i5 is provided with an outwardly extending flange portion 26 which, when the liner is positioned in the shell, is in substantially coplanar relation with flange IQ of outer shell It, thus facilitating the attachment of a suitable breaker-strip 25 (Figure 1) to close the gap therebetween.

Securely attached to the front face of each 0! the gussets is a thermally nonconductive element 26 to which the corners of liner flange 24 are attached by screws 21, whereby to support the liner in spaced relation within the shell in a manner' preventing direct heat flow from the shell to the liner. The gusset members are each formed with an indented'central'portlon 28 to provide room for insulating element 26 while still maintaining the coplanar relation of flanges I9 and 24..

In the usual two-temperature domestic erator intended for day-to-day storage of perishable foods the above-described liner supportmay prove to be suflicient, as shelf loads under these conditions are relatively light. However, as explained hereinabove, in the type of refrigerator adapted for storage of frozen food, the'shelf loads are heavy and provision of adequate support for the liner becomes a problem. Then too, as-stated above, liners are usually constructed of comparatively thin material, such as sheet metal, and .1 heavy shelf loads may tend to force the side walls of the liner outwardly.

Therefore, in particular accordance with the' present invention, provision is made for ru ged and adequate liner support, while at the same time eliminating any possibility of bending or buckling of the liner. To this end, a pair of support members are employed, each disposed along one side wall of the liner in the space between said liner and the outer shell. One of these members has been illustrated at 29, in Figure 3, and it will be understood that an identical construction is provided at the opposite side of the cabinet. Each of the members 29 comprises a rigid element, preferably in the form of an angle bar having its ends 30 attached to the rear face of each pair of upper and lower gussets e 23. Suitable nonconductive members 3| (Figure 2) are arranged between the ends of the members 29 and said gussets, and serve to prevent the 0 flow of heat from casing l4 to said bar or memher.

As seen in Figures 2 and 3, the side walls of liner l5 are attached to angle bar 29 at points intermediate the top and bottom corners thereof and in a plane rearwardly offset from the plane of flanges l9 and 24. This is accomplished by screw and stud assemblies designated generally by the numerals 32 and 33. The assembly 32 is illus-. trated more clearly in Figure 5 and will now be described with particular reference thereto.

In this figure it is seen that a thermally nonconductive or insulating element 34 is securely attached, as by screws 35, to angle bar 29 and is provided with a central bore 36 axially aligned with an aperture 31 in liner l5 and a co-centered aperture 38 in bar 29, both of which are of larger diameter than said bore 36. Element 34has a thickness equal to the dimension of the space between the bar 29 and the side wall of the liner, and carries (within bore 36 thereof) a screw 39 upon which is mounted a hollow shelf-supporting stud 40. The stud 40 is provided with axially extending radially offset fingers 4| which extend through aperture 31 into a recess 42, provided in the face of insulating element 34. These fingers are flexed upwardly, as by screw 39, to a position behind and against the periphery of said aperture, thereby maintaining the elements as a unitary rigid structure when the screw is fully engaged.

It will be noted that the heads of screws 35 are countersunk beneath the surface of insulating element 34, and that the outside diameter of the threads on screw 39 is less than the diameter of I the other.

refrig- .10

' :aperture 38, thus preventing any. direct metalto-metal contactbetween. the liner and angle bar 29 through which heat might flow from one to As brought out above, thestructure illustrated in Figure 3 is duplicated on the opposite side of liner l5, as shown in Figure 2. The opposing studs 4lllprovi-de the means for supporting the front portion of a shelf'43 which, as illustrated.

comprises a stud and which has a plurality of cross wires 44 I uponwhich the food is placed.

Therear portion of the shelf may be supported in any convenient'manner, but, by way of illustration, is shown as supported upon a screw and stud construction somewhat similar to that which supports the front portion of the shelf. The

screw 46 is passed through the stud 41 and threaded into a speed nut 49, formed as a U-- shaped clip and frictionally carried by a Z-shaped bracket '41 suitably secured to the liner l5. An evaporatorf43 is positioned in the upper portion of the food compartment liner, said evaporator being secured to the liner and angle bar in a manner similar to that just described withreference to the shelf supporting lugs 40 I and 41.

' Studs are unnecessary at this point, as the bottom wall of the evaporator comprises the foodcarrying shelf and, therefore, screws 39a and 4611 are passed through an aperture in the evaporator wall, and through registering apertures 31a in liner l5, and drawn up tightly into threaded engagement with insulating element 34a and speed'nut, 49a, respectively.

Thus it isseen that the invention provides two additional points of suspension or support, on each side wall of the liner, while at the same time reinforcing the said walls against buckling under the stress of heavy shelf loads. However, it

should be understood that two points have been shown by way of illustration only, and that any liner capacity. It should also be clearly understood that additional. points of support may be providedat positions along the :wall not asso-.

ciated with the shelving or evaporator.

. A particular feature of the. invention resides in tlfe'fact that it provides additional support and-reinforcement for the liner in a manner avoiding the danger of additional heat loss, be,.--

.with, liner support means carried by said mem bers, and apparatus connecting said support means in thermally non-conductive relation with both said liner and said evaporator for supporting said liner and said evaporator within said shell.

2. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising a substantially rectangular open front casing, a substantially rectangular open front inner food compartment liner disposed within said casing in spaced relation therewith, an evaporator disposed within said liner, 9. gusset positioned frame ,44 adapted to rest upon said desirable number may be used, according to the cause there is no direct metal-to-metal contact across each corner of said casing, means for securing the corner portions of said liner to said gussets in thermally non-conductive relation therewith, a pair of rigid elongate bar members each positioned adjacent and parallel with a side of said liner in spaced relation therewith, each of said bar members having its opposite ends attached in thermally non-conductive relation to opposed upper and lower gussets, each of said bar members carrying an insulating block disposed in the space between the bar member and inner liner, and means for securing said liner and said evaporator to said insulatin blocks.

3. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising a substantially rectangular open front casing, a substantially rectangular open front inner food compartment liner disposed within said casing in spaced relation therewith, a support bracket positioned in each corner of said casing, insulating means secured to each of said support brackets, means securing corresponding corner portions of said liner to said insulating means, a pair of vertically positioned elongate support elements each having its opposite ends connected in thermally non-conductive relation to opposed upper and lower comer support brackets, each of said elongate support elements carrying an insulating member and each being disposed adjacent said inner liner and spaced therefrom, each of said insulating members comprising an elongate block of insulating material secured at opposite end portions thereof to said support element, and means for securing said inner liner to an intermediate portion of each of said blocks and in thermally non-conductive relation with said elongate support elements.

4. A refrigerator cabinet construction comprising a substantially rectangular open front casing, a substantially rectangular open front inner food compartment liner disposed within said casing in spaced relation therewith, an evaporator positioned within said liner, a support bracket positioned in each corner of said casing, insulating means secured to each of said support brackets, means securing corresponding corner portions of said liner to said insulating means, a pair of vertically positioned elongate support elements, each having its opposite ends connected'in thermally non-conductive relation to opposed upper and lower corner support brackets, each of said elongate support elements carrying an insulating member and "each being disposed adjacent said inner liner and spaced therefrom, and means for securing said inner A liner to said insulating members and in thermally non-conductive relation with said elongate support elements, said last means-also serving to secure said evaporator within said inner liner.

' GEORGE E. CURTISS, JR.

REFERENCES CITED The following referenices are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 2,254,780 Quimper Sept. 2, 1941 2,268,517 Small Dec. 30,-1941 2,385,908 Armstrong Oct. 2, 1945 Certificate of Correction Patent No. 2,473,573. June 21, 1949.

GEORGE E. CURTISS, JR.

It is hereby certified that error appears in the printed specification of the above numbered patent requiring correct-ion as follows:

Column 4, line 60, claim 1, after the Word support insert member;

and that the said Letters Patent should be read with this correction therein that the same may conform to the record of the case in the Patent Oflice.

Signed and sealed this 8th day of November, A. D. 1949.

THOMAS F. MURPHY,

Assistant Commissioner of Patents. 

